At the Torrejon Air Base were the F-86 Sabres included in the Squadron 61, that were part of Wing Nº6, from which, as we have mentioned before, the personnel were selected to take over the F-104G’s

Inside of the new Wing Nº16, the Squadron 61 became the Squadron161 which included the F-104G’s and a new Squadron 102 was created for the F-86.

This denomination was changed again in November of 1967 after another re-structuring, and Squadron161  would pass to be independent and with a new denomination, the Squadron 104  and the Squadron102 of F-86’s became Squadron201.

The radio sign that the F-104G’s  in  Torrejon  used was inherited from the F-86 Squadron 61 that was and it is still being used by the successors, this was the radio sign of TENIS. The F-86’s from the 102 and later Squadron 201 selected the radio sign of PUMA.

As we already know, the years that the F-104G’s were in Spain were 7, with the denomination during two years of Squadron 161 and during 5 years Squadron 104, this last denomination being, the name for which it was known as the F-104G Unit, besides of coinciding with the airplane’s numeral.

Finally, Squadron 104 ceased to be independent in (May) of 1972 after being incorporated into Wing Nº12 and with the same denomination that it had, Squadron 104, then becoming Squadron 122 in (April) of 1972 until is dissolution in (May) 1972.

The Squadron was situated in a building on the extreme north end of Torrejon Air Base, an area previously used by the one Squadron of F-102 of the USAF and that at the present time it is used by  Squadrons 121 and 122 the F-18’s of Wing Nº12.

Said building had two levels, on the lower level were located the following services: dressing area, bathrooms, the bar, briefing room, relaxing room and lectures, the M.T.U. and operations center. On the upper level were the reserved zones for each of the sections of the Squadron and the offices of the Chiefs and Commanders as well as the office of the Colonel, Chief of the Wing.  

At the entrance of the Squadron building and on one of the entrance walls, there were the photos, with the names, of all the pilots that were assigned there, further in the interior, mainly in the briefing room, there were the photos of all those that in their time had served in the Squadron and they were no longer assigned there. On another side, one could see the plaques awarded to the Squadron, also all the trophies, souvenirs and memories from other Units that had visited the Unit, either nationals or foreign.

Aside from this main building the Squadron had others, like the Alert Barracks located to the side of  the start of runway 23, and the corresponding to maintenance.

We can see on the following diagrams the composition, structure and tasks that were carried out by the Squadron.

                       OPERATIONS FIELD                                                         FUNCTIONAL FIELD  

The Squadron was made of a series of sections (left diagram) that would carry out the specific commitments necessary for its proper operation, included in the Operations Field.

The most important of all of them and in which the work was concentrated, was the Operations and Information Section, truly the brain of the Squadron, because here is where the operations ordered by the Command were studied, planned and directed. The daily flights and missions for the different instructions plans were programmed so as to maintain the personnel to the highest operating level, coordinating with the Maintenance Squadron for the necessary airplanes to carry out the flight plans.

The rest of the sections were dependent on Operations. They were made up by their own pilots, which were specialized in the specific job assigned to the section. They in turn would pass on information, orientation and rules of conduct for the rest of the personnel.

The following is the description of the work dedicated to each of the sections:     

    - Military Information: In charge of everything related to information andsecurity as well as cartography, confidential and

      secret documentation, information on targets...etc. All of this secret information was stored in a safe that in the case of this

      Squadron and for the amount of documents it had, the safe could have been called armoured room.

    - Rules and Procedures: Is mission was to see that all pilots would equally fulfill their commitments. They were in charge of

      the Regulations from the Defense Command and procedures from the local Operations of theSquadron.

    - Air Traffic Circulation: This section was responsible for everything referring to the Rules of Traffic Control and Aerial

      Control, informing of all the changes that would occur on the Air Space.

    - Flight Security: Was responsible with everything related with flight security, besides advising and orienting about

      this issue to improve the security and also to investigate any type of incident or accident that related to the Squadron. 

    - Aircraft Systems: They study the cell, the engine and general systems of the F-104G with the object to resolve

       any doubt on its usage or function. This section had a close relationship with the M.T.U.

    - Instruments and Navigation: They were specialists in instrument flight and in the use of the navigation systems in the

       aircraft. They were also in charge of the annual renewal of the aptitude cards for flying on instruments of all pilots.

    - Armmament and Shooting: They were specialists on the fire systems of the plane, like radar, sights, armament modules,

       fire lanes...etc. They also were responsible for the pilots firing clasification during the whole year.

    - Photography: The were specialists in the photographic reconissance and the utilization of this aircraft for this type of

      mission.

    - Tactics: They were in charge of combat tactics. Incorporating new thecniques and remembering the existing ones,

       specifically as they were refered to aerial combats and ground attacks

The personnel of these sections was periodically rotated through each one of them, leaving someone permanent in each section to instruct the rest of them, in this maner, it was satisfied the programed requirements of the Instruction Plan Nº4 with a small conference on the morning briefings.

The other sections that did not appear within the Operation Field, but complemented it, are the ones that appear in the diagram at right:

    - Administration and Personnel: All of the administrative bussines of the Squadron where taken care of by this

       section.

    - Flight Equipment: Here the flight equipment for the pilots was taken care of, like the parachute, helmet, oxygen mask,

       anti-G suit, survival, equipment…etc.

    - Maintenance in Line: Because the characteristics of this aiplane and of the Squadron, it was the only maintenance step

       that belong to the Squadron proper.

    - The 4 Escuadrillas: 4 Escuadrillas were formed in which all pilots were distributed.

    - Warning Center: Where the communications and other elements for the Warning Service were centralized.

    - Operations Center: This section had the control of the pilots, as well as the hours flown, missions completed, aircraft

      conditions, warnings situations and radar control..etc.

But the life of the Squadron was mainly occupied between the work required from the sections and the instruction plans approved and required by the Command.

These Instruction Plans were 4 and had to be taken and pass, one at the time, and had to be taken in sequence without being able to skip any of them.

- Instruction Plan Nº1: Every one of the new pilots had to pass this plan before being incorporated in the Unit, which included a minimum training about the F-104G before they could fly it. They had to become familiar with the aircraft systems, specific or auxiliary, from the technical point of view.

This plan was performed in the well known M.T.U. and was made of two parts:  the theoretical given by the briefings of the instructor and the other made up of a questionaire in which the pilot could demonstrate his knowledge of the procedures to fly the plane, either normal or in emergencies.

Once these two parts of the plan were completed, the pilots took part in  practice flying missions in the dual control F-104G so that eventually they could fly in a single control F-104G, this plan consisted of 10 hours of flying time.

- Instruction Plan Nº2: This plan was reached once the pilot passed plan #1 and the objective was was to train and qualify as capable and READY for COMBAT.

It was also made of two parts, the first one being a serie of conferences and studies that required  the pilot to fill in a Questionaire of Tactical Evaluation that would show his  understanding of the combat procedures and use of the plane’s armament.

The practice took place in 28 flights in which live fire and air to air missile launching  took place. Once this plan was completed the pilot was graded as ready for combat and issued the instrument flying card and passed to the Alert services.

- Instruction Plan Nº3: As in the previous cases to get to this plan, they had to pass the other plans. The characteristics if this plan was that it had to be taken once a year and not like the others, which once they had been passed they did not have to be repeated again. The flights and the practices of this plan were the normal ones day to day of the Squadron, classified in three groups: 

        ●    AIR  COMBAT: Included were the following missions:

            - GCI Missions, that are controlled interceptions from the ground and were performed at:

                                         High Altitude,     High Speed,     Medium Level,     Low Level.

              All of these missions were done during the day as well as night using as targets another F-104G or a T-33.

            - ATCC Missions, tactical aplications as fighter against fighter, consisted of an authentic combat between two

               or more aircraft.

            - Air to Air Live Fire Missions, that consisted of launching of a missile against a rocket or cannon fire.

        ●    GROUND ATTACK: The following missions were practiced:

            - Combat Missions of PC, consisted of attacking at different altitudes and directions at one or more targets.

            - Photographic PC Missions: The same as the previous mission but instead of attacking, photos were taken of

              the target.

            - Air to Ground Live Fire Missions, were carried out against a target with cannon, bombs and rockets and depending

              on the amount if hits by the pilots, they were classified as, Certified, Good Shooter or Expert.

        ●    GENERAL: these served to have overall control of airplane at all times, being two the main missions to carry out:

            - Instrumental Missions: In which the pilot trained on instruments while flying from the rear cockpit of a TF-104G or in

              a T-33. The cockpit was covered with a tarp and he performed GCA’s, approximations and penetrations.

            - Transition Missions: were the only missions that were performed individually. In these ones, the pilot would executed

              a series of maneuvers and acrobatics with the plane, so that he became aware of all the aircraft’s possibilities in flight,

              in other words, he could accomplish whatever he wanted with the airplane.

-  Instruction Plan Nº 4: This was plan was strictly theory of operation and consisted of four important themes:

            - The aircraft as a weapons system, with the technical study of its operation and the on board systems.

            - The tactical use of this aircraft with the study of tactical maneuvers and armament use.

            - Cultural conferences that dealt with professional and human themes.

            - Flight security, which dedicated one day per week.

These missions of the Instruction Plans took place during the normal day to day flights, but they did not only fly for the instruction plans, there were also other missions that were ordered by the Command, among them were the following:

    - Missions of National Defense were done once a month and consisted in neutralize and intercept the attacking aircraft.

    - Maneuvers collaborating with other Armies.

    - Escorting  VIP aircraft.

    - Vigilance if restricted zones.

    - Once a month there were interchanges with other Air Forces, with an Escuadrilla going away for a week.

    - Real Alert: This was a service in which one airplane was always kept in conditions of readiness for immediate take off

      during 24 hours a day and in during any meteorological situation and for any SCRAMBLE.

The Squadron normal schedule started at 8:30 AM with a general briefing with all pilots not on duty at that time in attendance.

The briefing consisted of a conference on Instruction Plan Nº4, followed by meteorological information on weather and its development over the whole day. The talk included the condition of the alternate fields and lastly, there were comments about the daily emergency, in which a detailed study was made with the presentation and resolution of an emergency in the airplane.  A different case was studied every day and it would serve as an example to all and to be remembered. The briefing usually would last about 30 minutes, once it was finished, each pilot would go to perform the tasks assigned to him.      

Squadron Briefing Room

The flight schedules were established in two shifts, the first one would take place in the morning following the briefing and the second one from the last hour of the morning to mid afternoon. Two times per week, when it was possible, another flight would be schedule for night flying. 

The workday would end around 14:00, but this timetable did not fit the necessities of the Squadron and it was necessary for the personnel to remain at the Base until the second schedule flight finish their tasks, or until the night flight would complete theirs.

The distribution of the flights over the three schedules were planed by Operations, having the presence of the best training for the Squadron, minding the flight hours and assigned missions to the Escuadrillas. The flight and mission schedules were programmed by Operations a week ahead so that each Escuadrilla would finish each and all of its missions. The Commander of each Escuadrilla would prepare the assigned missions and would name the pilots for the tasks.

Before and after each mission, the pilots involved would get together to summarize the pertinent instructions for the mission or it was studied and debriefed after the mission was completed.

The pilots that flew the first period would remain in the Squadron to do their own work at their own section.  

Aside from all this work, with the missions, the sections tasks and alerts, there were other jobs that needed to be covered by the pilots, these were:

 - Controller of the Firing Range of Caude (one week)

 - Alert Officer in the Squadron (daily)

 - Officer of the Day

 - Headquarters Captain

 - Flight Officer

The seniority of all members of the Squadron was abnormally high and with the small change of assignments that took place within it, there was little movement in the positions in the Escuadrillas. This created strange situations, for example: Some of the pilots that came to the Squadron from other Units and that had more seniority than some of the original members, could not move up past the third or fourth position within the Escuadrilla.      

Typical photograph of one of the Escuadrillas, to be precise the 3rd.

Theoretically, roles were created, for leaving from and naming to, the positions of Section Chief or Escuadrilla Chief, so that the pilots could meet the minimum requirements of permanence and for combat ability, even though, in reality, they remained in the last or next to last position.

There were also never ending foreign flights, specifically to Grazzanise in Italy were the practices for Instruction Plan Nº1 took place in the simulator, later on and in other years the transfers to Italy were mainly for the development of the program Navites which was implemented once a month on a regular basis.

Later on, the simulator practices were moved to Germany and the frequent trips there were for revision of the flight manual or to leave the F-104G’s for the revision required on Maintenance Step Nº3.

With the new established and operating Squadron, Spain joined Europe, or better said, the material utilized was identical to all the other fighter-bombers Squadrons in Germany, Italy, Belgium and Holland. The same flight manual was used, the pilots were trained in the same type of missions, the same simulator was used, the same codes were interpreted in English, the famous ACP 165, there were frequent interchanges between pilots, mechanics, officers, and sub-officers form other armies besides repairing and passing the requirements of Maintenance Step 3 in the same factory.

All of these reunions and interchanges were very helpful in the integration of the mechanical work of all the NATO countries, where the normal and emergency procedures were scrutinize, besides being kept up-to-date on new techniques. Only in those occasions when extremely confidential issues of the Organization to which it belonged were discussed, that the Squadron was kept “out of play”.  

Even with all this integration in Europe and this being the most modern Squadron and managed the most technical advances of the moment, not everything went well and perfect during the first years and until the end of 1968. The Squadron went trough a acute reduction of flight hours, to the point that the new pilots that were arriving had to wait a long time to become operatives and the ones that had already positions they could not have enough flight hours to implement the instruction plans.

During the first two years (65 and 66) the normal was that a pilot would fly for 4 or 5 hours per month. During the following two years (67 and 68) the situation was stabilized with ups and downs, flying around 15 hours per month, the more smart could get about 20 hours and in the summer months they could reach 25 to 30 hours.

The principal problem with this lack of flying hours was, the lack of planes ready  to fly. The fault that they were not ready to fly was not Maintenance’s, because they did a great job with what they had on hand, the problem or the fault felt over the Logistic Cooperative that was depended on SMAMA, an organ of the USAF in the United States and that probably because of errors and delays on the petitions and requisitions by the Spanish Air Force, the necessary replacements parts needed to keep the planes flying, were not sent on time.    

As detail, such a high proportion of aircraft in AOCP (out of service) was reached because the lack of replacement parts, that it became the highest of all the Squadrons in the world.

Aside from all of these maintenance problems (already mentioned in the maintenance section), the Squadron took part in a number of acts and exercises, as it was well mentioned at the beginning, the following being the most outstanding:

    - Poop Deck                                    -VIP Escort

    - Red Eye                                        - Missions South  (Gibraltar)

    - Datex                                            - Navites

    - Sitting Bull                                     - Aerial Parades

    - Red Lizard                                    - Exhibitions

    - Canarex                                        - Aero-Pentathlon  

    - Corzo                                           - Bomb tests

    - Indian Maize

As a curiosity we can mention that 45 pilots went trough the Squadron, and during its last year only 26 were left, which consisted of I Lieutenant Colonel, I Major, 23 Captains and 1 Second Lieutenant. Of the 19 left, 1 died in an accident in a small plane during a service act, 7 were promoted or changed assignments and 11 went to the Airlines. 

The median age was 32 years of which 15 were of service in Armed Forces. The added to 57,500 flying hours, 37,000 were in jets; that made for an average of 2,200 hours per pilot of which 1,400 hours were in jets. All the pilots, except two, were married with and average of 3 children, and by coincidence there was the same number of boys and girls.

We can give a number to what the price of an F-104G was in 1965, 100 million pesetas (of that time), making the total value of the Squadron with replacement parts, pieces, equipment, tools and the 21 airplanes to 2,400 million of pesetas.

It was the grand family; that was how the Squadron was known, because there was friendship and camaraderie among all the components since most of the jobs were done in teams, ready to act in unison where the majority of its acts took place, like flying, the alerts, the foreign trips…etc. They knew each other so well, they trusted each other and they respected each other, in one word, they were a team, it showed in the periodic picnics that they organized in the Squadron with all of their families.

This party had its origin in the gesture of comradeship as it was done with the flying hours paid by the company Expal for the certificate of the bombs that they made. Not all the pilots were able to make this type of flight, that, as the rumor had it, was the best paid hour in the whole Air Force. And since not all of them had the opportunity to participate in these flights, it was decided that all monies obtained with the flights would be saved and used for something for the good of the Squadron, in this manner the well-known picnic appeared in which all members of the Squadron would participate.

Even though the founding members of the Squadron were leaving and other new ones were coming in, the spirit of family never disappeared and it lasted until the last days of the Squadron’s existence as it was reflected in the joint effort for the return of all 21 airplanes in flight.

As a final note, reflecting on a comment that one of the old members of the 104 Squadron made to me, and that as of today is still in active duty, about the familiar spirit that was reached in the 104 Squadron and the difference that he has found in the actual Squadrons of the Air Force, where that spirit he has not been able to perceive of to find between its members

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